Exmouth primary school 'requires improvement', Ofsted says

Exeter Road Community Primary School in Exmouth 'requires improvement', according to Ofsted's latest inspection carried out in October.

The education watchdog has a four-tier rating system: inadequate, requires improvement, good, and outstanding. 

The school had been 'good' in 2012 and a short inspection confirmed it remained so in 2017.

The report

Ofsted said that leaders at Exeter Road have an "overgenerous" view of the quality of education, and "do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and important aspects of the curriculum that need to improve".

It also said that while leaders have identified key knowledge they want pupils to know in most subjects, teachers do not use assessment information well enough - and so some learning "does not build on what pupils already know" and pupils "develop gaps in their knowledge". Moreover, some pupils "do not get the help they need to catch up quickly".

Despite the fact that leaders "accurately identify the individual needs of pupils with SEND" and work closely with external specialists, the education watchdog also noted that "learning is not yet adapted well enough to help these pupils to access the curriculum successfully".

Ofsted found that leaders encourage pupils to read often and pupils start to learn phonics as soon as they join, but at times pupils who fall behind are "not identified quickly enough" and some staff "do not use their phonics knowledge effectively when supporting pupils to read".

Pupils however behave well, are "polite and respectful", and reportedly feel safe and do not worry about bullying. Safeguarding procedures are described as effective.

Most parents also consider leaders to be "caring and approachable", and are "proud to be part of the Exeter Road community".

Staff feel "well supported" and leaders give them "enough time to manage their workload effectively".

How the school can improve

To improve, Ofsted said that leaders "need to gain an accurate view of the curriculum", and subject leaders "need to make sure there are well-thought-out assessment opportunities that identify what pupils know and remember in each subject".

It also recommended that leaders "ensure that pupils read books that contain the sounds they know" and that "all staff teach phonics effectively".

Exeter Road Primary Acting Head 'confident' school can improve

Acting Headteacher of Exeter Road Community Primary School Marnie England said: "We are proud that Ofsted have recognised that the pupils attending Exeter Road are happy and enjoy coming to school.

"Over the last few years, (during our major building project, throughout Covid and with a change of leadership) we have focused on making sure that our children are safe, feel valued as individuals and know that they are listened to.

"Ofsted also highlighted some areas for development, which mostly involve formalising our procedures to allow us to better evidence all of the fabulous work that we do.

"We have already begun working on this and are confident that we have the skills within the school to show Ofsted what they want to see when they return.

"Our curriculum has always been and will continue to be constantly evolving, as we develop alongside educational research, respond to local and global events and acknowledge the needs and interests of our children.

"Staff at Exeter Road care passionately about doing the best possible job for our children and our community and will continue to strive to do this."

Click here to read the Ofsted report.